Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialty at a Glance

OB-GYN at its core provides a mixture of clinic and surgical experience. Caring for patients and their pregnancies is just one aspect of this diverse field. There is also the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with patients. There are so many benefits to OB-GYN including the ability to pursue one of many subspecialities (gynecology oncology, urogynecology and maternal-fetal medicine are just a few examples). OB-GYNs have the privilege of caring for people in some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. If you have a passion for reproductive justice, caring for marginalized people and improving maternal mortality rates then it might be the specialty for you.

Students should pursue opportunities to shadow physicians locally and get involved with the student interest group. Research, scholarly activity, and participation in advocacy groups are also highly encouraged.

It is important to have at least one subspecialty elective:

• High-risk obstetrics
• Family planning
• Minimally invasive gynecology
• Gynecology oncology
• Urogynecology

The ultrasound elective is also a great end-of-year option to help get you ready for intern year.

The OB-GYN sub-I at Eskenazi Health Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital is highly recommended. If there are no available spots prior to application season due to number of applicants, please consider doing the high risk obstetrics elective early in the fourth year as a surrogate. This will provide an excellent clinical opportunity while still allowing you to work with faculty to obtain letters of recommendation.

Away rotations for this specialty are not universally recommended. It is recommended if you have a strong preference for a specific program, or if you are interested in moving to a different region in the US where you have no specific ties to that area to help prove you are willing to relocate.

For this specialty, it is important to be a part of research in some capacity, especially if you are considering a large academic residency program. However, the research you do does not have to be specialty specific.

The duration of this training is four years. Residents can pursue fellowship training following the completion of residency in maternal-fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, minimally invasive gynecology, urogynecology and complex family planning. Fellowships range from two to three years and have a variable research requirement.

The standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) is highly recommended and will eventually be a requirement for OB-GYN applicants. Otherwise, focusing on obtaining letters from OB-GYN physicians that can attest to your work ethic and clinical acumen is recommended.

• Student Interest Groups

• Shadowing opportunities

• Formalized mentorship

Medical student affairs’ comprehensive career development program is formalized and integrated into all four years of the curriculum at all nine campuses. Specialty exploration starts with discussing it with your lead advisor. In addition to lead advisors, students can interact with the career development team during all phases of medical school for career coaching and support as well as professional development opportunities and guidance for exploring specialty options.